Ex-Defense Secretary James Schlesinger Dies

Cold Warrior Helped Manage 1970s Crises

By

Jared A. Favole

Updated March 27, 2014 1:59 p.m. ET

James R. Schlesinger, who as head of the Defense and Energy departments and the Central Intelligence Agency helped drive national-security decisions for more than a decade, died Thursday in Baltimore from complications of pneumonia. He was 85.